It appears the Giants and Daniel Jones have finally begun their negotiations, following a delayed start caused by the quarterback’s late agency switch. Jones’ new agents are setting a high bar and have some deadline-driven leverage to use.
The $45MM-per-year number that emerged earlier this week appears in step with the Jones camp’s asking price. The fifth-year passer views his value as past $40MM AAV, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports notes. As could be expected, the Giants are hoping a deal will check in lower. The team wants this deal to be closed at around $35MM per year.
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The latter number has been circulated as well, with the Giants having hoped Jones’ asking price would not top that $35MM-AAV figure. Jones’ camp can compare prices to other QBs, but it appears a near-certainty he will not have the chance to explore free agency. Although the Giants do not look to be considering the $45MM-plus exclusive franchise tag for Jones, they will apply the non-exclusive tag ($32.4MM) if no agreement is reached by March 7 — when the window for tagging players closes. That would affect the Giants’ plans with Saquon Barkley, but Jones’ reps can use the threat of that cap-clogging QB tag as leverage against the team.
A post-contract-year price hike aside, this process could still have a happy ending (albeit an expensive one) for the Giants. Both camps view a Jones deal before the March 7 deadline as likely, Vacchiano adds, but this business could go down to the wire. The longer Jones is not tagged, the closer Barkley comes to hitting the open market.
It would be an interesting foray for Barkley, as a buyer’s market awaits this year’s glut of UFA-to-be running backs. The former No. 2 overall pick’s talent cannot exactly be questioned, especially after his bounce-back year, but the franchise tag price ($10.1MM) and flooded market could depress his value. Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard are the only other backs connected to the franchise tag, and while those players being cuffed would stand to benefit Barkley most, the prospect of Miles Sanders, Kareem Hunt, Jamaal Williams, David Montgomery, Devin Singletary, D’Onta Foreman and Damien Harris all hitting the market offers teams cheaper alternatives to the five-year Giant. This could push Barkley back to the Giants’ offer.
New York offered Barkley an extension in the $12.5MM-per-year range, and though a $14MM-AAV pact has also come out, no report of that number being offered has emerged yet. With Ezekiel Elliott close to taking a pay cut or being cut, the 2023 season may feature only two backs — Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara — tied to $15MM-per-year contracts. No ball-carrier sits between $13-$15MM. Some familiar with GM Joe Schoen do not believe he would want to venture into the $14MM range, per Vacchiano. Though, if the Giants already offered $12.5MM, such a leap (without knowing the guarantee structure) is not hard to imagine. The Giants have been talking with Barkley longer than Jones, negotiating with the former Offensive Rookie of the Year in the fall and starting again in late January.
Jones, 25, has rocketed out of the QB no-man’s land position — the $15-$30MM-per-year range — and into another gap. No passers are currently tied to a deal between $35MM and $40MM per annum. The notion of the Giants bailing and looking into one of this year’s cheaper QB options has not surfaced. It would be interesting to see if a true hardball effort by Jones’ camp would lead to the team floating such a plan.
Later for this guy. Let him “test the market”. More power to him if there’s a team stupid enough to pay him $45M/Yr. Don’t compound the #6 Pick Brain Fart with a Contract Brain Shart
A player can ask whatever he wants. Why not 50mil per?
Giants need weapons on offense and gonna lose their only weapon in Barkley.
c’mon man, you’re not really asking for 45.
Who in the world is even going to offer him a contract over 30mil per…. Ridiculous he’s ok but hasn’t proven a single thing to get 45min per
You don’t pay star money to average players. This guy needs to be surrounded with talent, as he hasn’t enough talent himself to make other players better.
Same idiot teams that would give up assets for “ Darkman Screwloose Rodgers” would probably give Jones the $$$. Then the fans would be stuck with him. Some of these players are chased like the “ newest toys” hype that Asst coaches that never were head coaches are. Ask Jerra how his “ Dak and Zeke “ deals look now.
“Jerra” would probably answer you question as to how he feels by saying he feels fine with the Zak and Zeke deals as long as the Cowboys marketing holds up which it has for generations (see the Cowgirls calendar sales each year for example) and the fact that the Cowboys sell out every home game and put another 10-12,000 standing fans into that stadium for every home game…..thats how he feels.
jones clearly hoping they settle at $40M…. I’d just tag his ass and go from there next year
You know inflation is really getting out of control when Daniel Jones thinks he’s worth $45M/year.
Good article out there on Larry Brown Sports describing why Jones may really be asking for $45 Million/year….suggest all the nay sayers who think he isn’t worth it to read it…..with Hurts, Herbert, Burrow, and a bunch of other “better” QB’s working on extensions, Jones ask of $45 Million may not even rank in the top 10 of QB salaries once all is said and done……his agent figures the time to strike is now, especially since he does have some leverage given the team is on the upswing and changing course at QB may not work well looking forward and the current college class of QB’s pretty much are “projects” at best……deserves some thought for sure….
I wonder though if the fact that Saquon is also a free agent plays into the equation for Jones? If Jones get tagged, then they must meet Barkley’s asking price, or he’s gone. They can’t tag both.
$45 eliminates any chance of building a winner – and for a guy that’s had 10 good games in 4 years…
Daniel jones is worth about 15 million a year and that’s being generous. Giants really should just drop him and look into Carr, or an actual good qb like rodgers. Paying a mediocre at best qb that kind of money is how you make a bottom dweller team
Pro Football Focus ranked Jones as #12 in their weighted rankings in 2022. Ahead of Goff, Rogers, Prescott, Ryan, and others. Carson Wentz made $32 million. Based on the rankings and the salaries of these QB’s, I’m sure that Jones will get at least $30 and probably a lot more.
So one good season is worth 30+ mil a year. Where did he rank in previous years ? Your team wins and loses based on your qb (99.9% of the time). No team with Daniel jones at qb will ever win a Super Bowl , let alone compete in one
Thanks for bringing some reality into the discussion. Latino Heat is clearly just slandering Jones. On the other hand, many of the QB’s on your list together with their salaries are what sank their current teams.
What is preventing teams like the Giants from using the transitional tags on players like Jones? Two-first round draft picks sound pretty good to me.
Slandering huh. Don’t let stats ruin your narrative there chief